Indigenous and other local communities across the world have had traditional systems of local governance relating to their natural commons, livelihoods, and sociocultural matters, many of which are still in practice. There are, however, very few studies on their nature and functioning, their interface with the modern state institutions, and their continuing sociocultural and ecological relevance. Kalpavriksh, a civil society group in India, has been active since the 1980s at the intersections of environment, democracy, livelihoods, and development. One of its focus areas for participatory research, advocacy and networking have been institutions of local community governance. In this chapter, we describe some of these engagements and bring out common learnings. We highlight their strengths and weaknesses in the current context and their interconnections with social, political, cultural, and ecological spheres of society. We stress the need to understand local community governance in all its complexity and to support its diverse forms while dealing with their internal weaknesses.